


Under the Mistletoe

by EscapingReality51



Category: EastEnders (TV)
Genre: Ben Mitchell is soft, Callum Highway is clueless, M/M, Pining, Sharing a Bed, Snogging, coming to terms with ones feelings, fake dating au, minimalist fanfiction okay I've forgotten what descriptions are, mistletoe moments
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2019-12-28
Packaged: 2021-02-18 22:55:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22001194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EscapingReality51/pseuds/EscapingReality51
Summary: Callum's been miserable ever since his ex boyfriend Chris broke up with him, and his family can't stop pestering him to find someone new. When Ben suggests he pretend to be Callum's new boyfriend, will Callum realise there might be something more to their friendship?
Relationships: Callum "Halfway" Highway/Ben Mitchell
Comments: 15
Kudos: 146





	Under the Mistletoe

**Author's Note:**

  * For [inloveamateursatbest](https://archiveofourown.org/users/inloveamateursatbest/gifts), [rooftopprendezvous](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rooftopprendezvous/gifts).



> I have written this fic for my lovely floofs, Claudia (inloveamateursatbest) and April (rooftoprendezvous). 
> 
> Merry Christmas to the both of you, and thank you both for being the loveliest friends a floof could ask for <3
> 
> Also, I tried to incorporate as many of your favourite tropes as possible, I hope you enjoy!

Ben puts a pint down in front of him, and not even that makes Callum smile. 

“You alright mate?” Ben asks. 

Ben knows, Ben always knows. Callum never had to say anything before Ben could tell something was wrong, not since they met and became friends about a year and a half earlier. This time is no exception.

Callum sighs. “If you call telling a lie to my family ‘alright’ then sure,” he says. 

“You, lying?” Ben asks. “You got a fever or something?”

Callum rolls his eyes. “My brother is having his annual Christmas party and has invited me along.” 

Ben smiling and all together enjoying this too much. “And you lied and said you’d _love_ to go?” 

“Let me get it out, will ya?” 

“Fine, fine!” Ben sits back in his chair. “You’ve got a Christmas party to go to, what’s the problem?” 

Callum takes a deep breath followed by a sip of his pint. “You know how Whit and Stuart and everyone else has been going on about how I need to find myself a man after Chris and I broke up?”

Ben’s left eyebrow quirks up and he suppresses a grin. “Yes.” 

“Well, I told them I was seeing someone.” 

Silence falls between them. Ben is smirking like he is really enjoying himself, and Callum wishes he wouldn’t. Almost. 

“... and?” Ben says. “That’s it?”

“Well, I’m not seeing anyone, am I. And now they want me to bring this mystery bloke to the party,” Callum says. “I just couldn’t stand their questions anymore, I wanted them to stop… so I lied.” 

Ben barks out a laugh. “That’s nothing,” he says. “Thought you were talking about lying to them about sorting something for Christmas, or buying them presents… this can be sorted.” 

“What, am I supposed to go to the nearest gay bar and walk around asking until I find someone stupid enough to say yes?” Callum places his hand over his eyes. “They’ll either have to be in on it, or I’ll have to pretend to like them until it’s over and I break it off.” 

“Come on Callum, you can let him down gently!” 

Callum’s face falls. “I don’t want to hurt someone like that.”

Ben rolls his eyes; he has previously called Callum too good for the world, even though Callum would argue it is just about being nice. Instead of berating him for it, however, Ben leans forward conspiratorially. “I’ll do it then.” 

Callum freezes. “You’ll what?” 

Ben takes a sip of his pint. “Look, we’re mates. I’ve met your brother once or twice, we can spin some story about us getting together, I’ll pretend to be your boyfriend, and then a few weeks later you’ll tell we’ve decided to just be mates and that’ll be that.” 

Callum thinks it over for a second, and then another, weighing his options. Ben is smiling at him - friendly this time, not gleeful - and it strikes Callum that there is no one he would rather be bringing to his brother’s house for a party, even if it is just a lie. 

“You would do that… for me?” Callum asks. 

Ben gives him a pointed stare. “We’re mates, aren’t we? Look, you need a break from your family and I get free food and beer,” he says, as if that makes it as it should be.

Stuart means best but it is too much, all the questions and the prodding just remind him of what he lost. Ben’s right, he does need a break.

“Yeah, alright… This might work.” 

Ben takes a sip of his pint and just watches Callum, eyes intent and focused. 

“If I do this, you seriously owe me one,” Ben says. 

“‘Course,” Callum replies. “I owe you one.” 

He always meets Whit for a coffee on Sunday afternoons, a tradition they started when they both moved away from home and needed a tether, something to keep them from growing apart. Years later and it still grounds him, is a space where he can talk, about whatever is on his mind.

Whitney smiles at him as he sits down. Her hair is a dark purple this time with a purple jacket to match, and her make up is, as always, perfect. If Callum were straight, he wishes he could be with someone like Whitney. 

“How’ve you been?” Callum asks. 

“Not bad,” she says. “I’ve been working double shifts the past few weeks, so I am ready for the holidays.” 

Callum smiles weakly. “You deserve a break, Whit.” He stares at his coffee and doesn’t move a muscle. 

“So,” she says, breaking him out of his reverie. “How are you doing?” 

“Yeah, not bad either.” 

The look she gives him then is hard. “Come off it.”

“What d’you mean?” Callum asks. 

“Last time we talked you mentioned Chris and well, it’s been over a year now. How are you really?”

Callum doesn’t want to mention it. Chris and him ended just over a year ago but it still stings - the first person he ever really loved broke up with him, broke his world in two, how was he supposed to just move on?

“Whit, don’t. I can’t, yeah?” 

Whitney places a hand on his arm and gives it a squeeze. She always does this, comforts him, talk to him about the things going on in his head. When he got back from war she was the first to suggest counselling and he has been going ever since. Sometimes Callum thinks Whitney knows him better than he knows himself.

“Look, I know it’s Christmas and Christmas is terrible when your heart’s broken but don’t take too long to go for something new. It’s time.” 

Callum stares at the table in front of them, the dents and scratches, wear and tear and scars that show that time has taken its toll. 

“It just hurts… even after all this time. I really loved him,” Callum says with a sigh. 

“Well, there are lots of men that could love you, if you gave them a shot.” 

At this, Callum smiles. 

“So, tell me all about your new business idea,” he says, and Whitney beams at him.

Callum still doesn’t know why Ben suggested this.

He looks great, his dark tartan coat pulled close and his stubble just the right length. Ben has met Stuart once or twice in Callum’s local but now that he is meeting Ben, ‘my boyfriend’, Callum’s palms feel sweaty. 

“We’ll go in, pretend for a bit, and then go out for a pint after,” Ben says. He seems calm, as if this were a perfectly normal thing to do. 

“Rainie’s nice, you’ll like her. Stuart’s friends are great too, and we’ll just be there for a few hours…” 

Ben squints at him. “You’re worried,” he says. 

Callum rolls his eyes but he can’t deny it. 

“Look, I’ll be the perfect boyfriend,” Ben says with a grin. “I can let him know how great you are in bed if that’ll help?” 

Callum feels his skin grow hot. “Nah, don’t.”

Ben’s laughing, and at least there’s that.

Stuart’s Christmas parties are usually a calm affair; a bit of eggnog, some mince pies, and a bit of mingling among Stuart’s closest friends is all it entails. He called Callum the day before and asked if Ben was allergic to anything, which was sweet and made Ben laugh when Callum told him. 

“What’re the rules here?” Ben asks as they stand in front of Stuart and Rainie’s door. 

“What d’you mean?”

“Do we hold hands, do we call each other nicknames?” 

Callum pauses. He hadn’t thought of this. Why hadn’t he thought of it. Chris used to tease him, call him a different nickname every week, choose the most cringey ones and use it in public.

“We can hold hands but no nicknames,” Callum says.

Ben nods and gives him a teasing grin. “I’ll keep that in mind, babe.” Callum hits him on the shoulder. 

“Knock it off,” he says. 

The door opens and Stuart smiles at the both of them, arms spread wide.

“Welcome, welcome!” he says. “Good to see you, Ben.”

Ben nods and sticks his hand out but Stuart won’t have it - he pulls Ben in for a hug and Callum has to suppress the laughter bubbling in his throat at the sight. 

“Glad you could make it,” Stuart says with a smile for both of them. He’s wearing a rather ridiculous jumper with a flashing red light on a reindeer's nose. “Callum hasn’t told me nearly enough about you two.” 

“Happy Christmas,” Callum says, giving Stuart a hug. 

“Come in!” Stuart stands back and lets them walk through the doorway, Ben shooting Callum a look over his shoulder as he does so. “We’ve got drinks over here, and some food Rainie put together over there…” 

Callum can’t help but wonder if Stuart has made it a little bit more extravagant because of his guest. The usually sparse decorations are just that bit more, and there’s tinsel hanging over all the windows, a small mistletoe hanging in the doorway between the kitchen and the sitting room. Callum can see Stuart has brought out the real glasses and not the usual plastic ones.

Callum gets them both a drink, and Ben thanks him with a ‘thanks, babe’ that makes Callum want to strangle him. They settle in beside one another, and Ben looks around the room. 

“So, these are your brother’s mates?”

Callum nods. 

“And what does your brother do again?”

“He’s a plumber,” Callum says. 

“Right,” Ben says, taking a sip. His face goes sour. “I hate eggnog.” 

Stuart walks over with a plate of mince pies and puts it down next to Callum, eyeing the two of them. Ben quickly threads his fingers through Callum’s - they are warm, calloused, and Callum desperately needs someone grounding him right now. 

“So, how did this happen? Last I saw you, you were just mates.”

Ben looks up at Callum mischievously. “Why don’t you tell him, babe?” 

It is incredible how Ben can make a game of anything, make it so that Callum can’t help but smile, just a little. He clears his throat. “Yeah, well… one day I guess I couldn’t look at him without wondering why we weren’t together.”

“Oh come one, those roses were really beautiful,” Ben says as he puts his head on Callum’s shoulder.

“Flowers? Good on you, bruv.” Callum gets a fist bump for that, and a huge smile. “Been wanting to see you get all romantic with someone again.” 

Callum’s hand involuntarily squeezes Ben’s, and Ben just keeps smiling. 

“Well, I couldn’t say no after those flowers, could I? He’s just too gorgeous not to!” 

Callum meets Ben’s eye and can see the pure mirth behind them, unadulterated glee. Ben keeps on with the small talk, the flirty looks and overly affectionate body language for a few hours as they keep up appearances and finally, three hours later, Callum pulls them towards the door. As soon as they get out of the flat Ben pulls his hand away from Callum’s, grinning at him like an idiot. 

“If that doesn’t get me a Bafta, nothing will,” he says. 

Callum laughs. “You got my brother convinced at least, I’ll give you that.” 

Ben puts his hands in his pockets and starts walking. “Not hard to do,” he says. “He just wanted to hear all the good things about you.” 

“You gave him plenty of those alright.” 

Ben grins again. “Give it a few weeks and you can let him know it’s all over.”

Callum looks at Ben; there are laugh lines around his eyes, and a sparkle in them that lights his face up. 

“I will do,” Callum says, putting his hands in his pocket to get them warm again. 

“What’s Ben doing for Christmas?” Stuart asks a few days later as Callum takes a bite of his dinner. 

“Erm,” Callum says as he chews, taking time to think and draw on anything Ben might have said to him about Christmas in the Mitchell house. “His family aren’t that big on Christmas but his mum usually does a big lunch on the 25th.” 

Stuart nods. Callum can practically see the cogwheels moving. “You can bring Ben over for Christmas Eve if you’d like.”

Callum coughs. “You serious?” 

“You seemed happy the other day! I’m just saying, if you want to bring him, you can.” 

This isn’t good. Callum wracks his brain; with their father in prison and their mum out of the picture, Callum and Stuart have spent the past many Christmases together and now that Rainie is Stuart’s wife she’s there as well, but inviting Ben would indicate serious commitment. 

It’ll require another night of Ben being a nightmare and really enjoying it, and another night of pretense.

“I’ll ask him,” Callum says. Spending Christmas Eve with Ben would be nice, even if it would be a fake arrangement. 

Stuart gives him an appraising look, like this relationship means his little brother is taken care of, and it makes Callum feel a little guilty. 

“You two seem so happy together,” Stuart says. 

Callum smiles and eats his dinner in silence. 

Ben stares at him for a few seconds after he suggests it. Then, he shrugs. 

“You really don’t mind doing this again?”

“I’m helping out a mate and I’m getting free beer,” Ben says, smiling. 

Callum stares at him. 

“Look, this helps you, takes the pressure off.” Ben doesn’t mention Chris, how heartbroken Callum was and how much he needed a breather afterwards, how Callum probably isn’t truly over him yet. All the reminders of Callum not having that anymore wear him down and sometimes Ben has picked up the pieces. Instead he eats a chip off Callum’s plate and shrugs again. “We wait until after New Years but it isn’t as if we didn’t know this was a possibility, yeah?” 

“We did?” 

“Come on Callum, you must have thought about it?” 

Callum shakes his head and Ben just rolls his eyes at the naivety on display. 

“We’ll go, we’ll have a nice evening and then I’ll head off to Christmas lunch at Mum’s, yeah?”

“Alright, alright. I’ll let Stuart know.”

Ben gives him a consenting nod before getting up to go to the bar. “Want another beer?” 

Stuart is thrilled, of course, and Callum feels the guilt creeping in but Ben stops that with another pint, and a reminder that everyone needs a break from certain things once in a while

They both rock up on the 24th, a small overnight bag in hand, and Ben’s just being his normal, infuriatingly cheeky self. 

“You really want to do this?” Callum says. 

Ben pulls his jacket closer to his ears in an attempt to keep them warm. “What, you think I can’t handle it?” 

“‘Course not, I just…” Callum wants to say that it’s too much, no one should want to protect him like this, be such a good friend but the words catch in his throat. 

Ben smiles at him and then rings the doorbell. 

Stuart is thrilled to see them both, and gives Ben another hug, one he is a bit more prepared for this time. They have a small Christmas tree in the corner, and decorations hanging everywhere. Rainie is smiling at them too, and Callum feels himself relax a little as he steps inside, takes off his jacket, and lets the warmth of a home engulf him. 

Stuart points towards the room they will be staying in, and opening the door for them. The guest room is comfortably furnished, and Ben immediately walks inside and sits on the bed, jumping up and down a little to get a feel for the mattress. 

“Quiet, isn’t it,” he says, looking at Callum. “Good to know, right babe?”

Stuart promptly ignores him, looking instead at Callum. “I’ll leave you two to get comfortable,” he says with a knowing smile. He closes the door behind him. 

“So,” Ben says, getting up and shrugging off his jacket. 

“If this is too much then we don’t have to -” 

“It’s fine, Callum. Don’t worry, yeah?” Ben looks around. “Not as if I’ve never shared a bed with a mate before.” 

“I can sleep on the floor, if you’d like?” 

Ben just shakes his head. “Don’t be daft.” 

Callum smiles a little, puts his bag at the foot of the bed. “Want a drink?” 

“Thought you’d never ask.”

Stuart and Rainie put together a surprisingly good meal; the turkey isn’t dry and the gravy is just salty enough, and if the potatoes are a bit overcooked no one mentions it; Ben even has seconds. Callum smiles at him across the table as he politely answers questions about himself and his life, small talk that Callum knows he hates.

“So you’re a mechanic?” Rainie asks. 

“Yeah,” Ben replies. “How we met.” 

“My car broke down and Ben helped me get it fixed,” Callum says, shooting Ben a smile. He doesn’t mention how it was during one of his and Chris’ bad fights, how Ben found him broken hearted in the front seat of his car during a breakdown, staring at pictures of Chris on his phone.

“But that’s a while ago, isn’t it?” Stuart asks.

“Over a year ago now,” Ben says. “Took you long enough to figure out what you wanted, didn’t it babe?” 

Callum sends him the evils and Ben has to cover a laugh with a sudden coughing fit. “It did,” Callum smiles. 

“Well, what can I say. My brother is an idiot.” Stuart grins at Callum as he speaks and Ben can’t help but nod. “He is,” he says, and Callum wants to throw a roll at him. 

Dinner ends and Callum gets up to help clear the table, which is when he notices just how many drinks he has had. His knees feel weak, slightly wobbly, the ground beneath him unsteady. 

He looks over at Ben and sees him slightly flushed; there are four empty beers in front of his plate and Callum sees the same at his own. Stuart leaves with the empty plate of turkey and returns with more beers. 

“More, Ben?” Stuart asks, and Ben just nods. 

“You usually have a skinful on Christmas eve?” he asks. 

Callum can’t help but laugh. “The first few years we forgot to buy food,” he says. 

Ben just groans slightly. “Mum’s going to be thrilled tomorrow,” he says with a smile on his face.

Callum’s walking back from the kitchen, moving aside in the doorway to let Ben pass when Rainie starts giggling.

“What?”

“Mistletoe.” She is pointing at the doorway and Callum looks up. His heart sinks. 

Stuart starts laughing. 

Callum shakes his head. “Bit too much,” he says. 

“Come on then,” Stuart says, and Rainie’s still pointing. 

Callum looks at Ben and sees that cheeky smile of his full on display. They have agreed no kisses, that is a line they aren’t going to cross. They have been friends for a year without it ever happening, ever being a question. Ben’s an attractive bloke but Callum’s been too heartbroken to notice, really. Callum doesn’t know what it is - probably the alcohol - but he sees it now.

Ben’s eyes are crinkled as he says: “Come one babe, can’t throw away years of tradition can we?” The grin on his face is practically devilish.

Callum looks up at the dark-green leaves and then down at Ben, who is now close enough that Callum can smell his cologne, and he swallows. A part of him wants to apologise for his family, wants to say anything that will make this less terrible. After this, Callum is really going to owe Ben. 

Callum moves a step closer and suddenly feels Ben’s hand on his waist, gripping at the fabric of his jumper. Ben tilts his chin up, licks his lips. Apparently they are doing this. Callum stares at him, taking in the sight of him, the freckles on his nose and the steely grey blue of his eyes. Ben gives him a small, almost unnoticeable nod. Callum takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. 

Ben’s lips are surprisingly soft. Callum has known Ben long enough now to know that he is a tough guy; his hands are coarse and his manners even more so, he speaks his mind and isn’t afraid to ruffle feathers. His lips, however, are pliant and soft beneath Callum’s own and he lets them linger, fingers pulling Callum in. They pull apart but Ben’s staring up into Callum’s eyes and Callum is powerless when Ben tugs Callum back in. There’s a spark of something that threatens to burn bright and when Ben opens slightly, lets his tongue slide against Callums lips and tongue, it ignites _. _

Ben tastes of gravy and beer and Callum’s skin tingles. There’s a weight behind whatever they are doing, a want that courses through him and it makes him pull Ben in, place a hand on his cheek to stroke at the skin there, to keep him where he wants him. He takes a deep breath, nose pressed against Ben’s, breathing him in and then he curls his tongue behind Ben’s teeth and he feels Ben let out a tiny noise of pleasure against his mouth. It only drives Callum to pull him in closer, put a hand on Ben’s waist and - 

Stuart clears his throat behind them and Callum freezes. “You’ve got a room you can go to, if you want.” 

They break apart. Ben’s lips are red and puffy, his eyes a shade or two darker than before. There’s a glint in his eye, a spark that Callum hasn’t seen before. 

“Sorry,” Callum mutters and Rainie grins at them. 

“No need, just warn us next time so we can leave you to it,” Rainie jokes. 

The ease has gone. Guilt rises, building with every second, burning the alcohol in his blood. He shouldn’t have done it, he shouldn’t have let it happen. He looks down to see if Ben has the same chaos coursing through his veins but Ben just grins up at him and pushes past him towards the kitchen, and Callum is frozen in place.

Later, as they lie in bed side by side, Ben’s slight snores in his ear, Callum can’t sleep. He can’t think of anything but that kiss; he can still remember what it felt like, despite the hours that have passed and the effect of a few beers. He closes his eyes and can practically feel Ben press against him, slight stubble against his cheek and tongue featherlight on his own. 

_ Fuck. _

He can feel the places where the mattress they are sharing dips to accommodate Ben, can almost feel the air move everytime Ben exhales. A hand brushes against his and Callum jerks, looking over to see Ben peaceful, his head against the pillow, shuffling beneath the sheets.

“I’m panicking Whit, you got time for a coffee?” 

“Yeah, meet me there at three?” Her voice is sweet over the phone and Callum agrees. 

Their usual table is free when he arrives half an hour earlier, and he stares at his surroundings while waiting. Everything looks different now, seems different, his life has shifted in a way that he still doesn’t fully understand. His finger traces across the table and he weakly asks for a glass of water when a waiter arrives. 

“What’s going on Callum?” Whitney says, breaking him out of his thoughts. She’s not wearing makeup, and her hair is in a messy bun - she clearly hurried to get there and he just loves his best friend that much more.

She sits down in front of him, puts a hand on his arm. 

“Something’s happened and I -” 

“What?”

“With Ben… I kissed him.” 

Her eyebrows rise and her mouth falls open in surprise but it quickly transforms into a soft smile. 

“That’s not a bad thing,” she says, but his face doesn’t change. “Is it?”

“It shouldn’t have happened, Whit… I can’t believe I was this stupid,” he says. 

“What, stupid? I’ve been waiting for you two to pull yourselves together for months.” 

“You what?” Callum asks.

“You and Ben. I thought it was so obvious…”

“What was?” 

Whitney runs a hand over her face. “I shouldn’t say, I -” she says but stops, taking a deep breath. “We’ve all talked about it, when we’ve seen you two together… Ben’s in love with you, Callum.”

Silence falls between them. Callum doesn’t follow, it can’t be… This is the same Ben who pulls a new bloke every weekend, the Ben who has been his mate through the toughest year of his life, who has encouraged him and pushed him to move on, but always respected Callum’s choices. He is one of one of Callum’s closest friends. 

“Ben? No, he can’t be,” Callum says. 

“It’s not like he’s said anything but the way he looks at you, the way he talks about you,” she says. Callum runs a hand through his hair, trying to think back to however Ben has acted but he can’t see it. 

“Well, what happened?” 

He tells her everything, talks about Chris and Stuart and Ben, really just wanting to help and -

“It was amazing Whit, I haven’t felt that since… well, since Chris.” At this she smiles, squeezing his arm. “Afterwards Ben was exactly the same, just made jokes and poked fun at me and then we slept next to each other and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I don’t know what to do,” he finally admits, and Whitney smiles. 

“You need to talk to him.”

Callum finds Ben at his dad’s garage wearing his dark blue trousers and a light grey t-shirt, see-through gloves on his hands as he rummages inside the hood of a car. He looks over his shoulder as he hears footsteps and smiles when he spots Callum.

“What’re you doing here?” Ben asks, still working.

“We need to talk,” Callum says. 

Ben extricates himself from the car and stands up, meeting Callum’s gaze. He sees it then, he sees the tightness in Callum’s shoulders and the worry in his eyes. 

“You alright?” Ben asks. 

Callum just shakes his head, once. 

“What’s on your mind?” 

“We need to talk about… the other night at Stuart’s, when we -” Callum’s eyes fall to the floor. He can’t stop himself, can’t not talk about what’s going through his head, even if it means losing Ben all together. “When we kissed.” 

Ben shrugs his shoulders. “All part of the ruse yeah? We got your brother to leave you be and all that,” he says. 

“No, Ben…” 

“Callum, don’t.”

Ben’s eyes are hard, his stubbornness is showing. “Why not?” Callum asks. 

“It was nothing, yeah.” Ben turns around to work on the car. “We don’t need to talk.” 

Callum takes a step towards him. “Why don’t you want to talk about this?” 

“Because I can’t pretend anymore!” Ben yells, and it echoes throughout the garage. 

Callum stares at him, sees him take a deep breath and then another, chest heaving. 

“Pretend what?”

Ben turns around and goes back to work, a silent dismissal of Callum’s question. 

“If you can’t talk about it, then I will.” Callum stares at Ben, trying to consolidate the mess in his head into a coherent sentence. “I… I can’t stop thinking about it, Ben. I know I shouldn’t and that we’re just mates but it’s all I think about. You are a good person Ben, and I don’t know how I didn’t see it before. I want this, I want you, but I don’t want to lose you as a friend so if you can’t handle it, we can be mates and I’ll get over it, in time…” 

Ben’s stopped moving his arms and he slowly turns around, meets Callum’s eye. 

“You being serious?” Ben asks. 

“Yeah, Ben. I’m serious. I want you -”

In four quick steps Ben moves towards him, taking off his gloves and throwing them on the floor before grabbing Callum by his lapels and pulling him closer and pressing their lips together. It only takes a split second and then Callum’s body reacts, wrapping his arms around him and pressing his body against Ben’s. 

The fires back again, the heat in his veins that makes him put a hand on Ben’s cheek, makes him open his mouth slightly and react with a small moan as Ben does the same and their tongues touch. Callum has no idea of how long they keep going, just that when they finally break apart his lips are tingling and his chin feels burned. 

“I -” Callum starts but Ben just grins at him. 

“I’ve been wanting to do that for a while,” Ben says. 

Callum rests his forehead on Ben’s, breathes him in. “I don’t know why I didn’t see it,” Callum says. 

“See what?”

“How brilliant you are,” he says. The pain he has carried with him for a year hasn’t been good or healthy and he realises that it wasn’t just pain about no longer being with Chris, it was pain about thinking he could ever be happy with anyone. 

“I… I love you, Callum. I have for months.” It takes Callum’s breath away to hear such vulnerability from Ben Mitchell, the hardest bloke he knows, the man currently making him grin from ear to ear. “You don’t have to say it back but I couldn’t pretend I don’t, not anymore.” 

Callum will say it back. Callum will say it back after he sends Ben those big red roses, after they go out on a date or two, after they spend a night in each other’s arms, bodies spent and chests heaving. He’ll say it and Ben’s eyes will shine and they’ll stay up all night until Callum’s chin gets red and his heart full. Callum will say it back but for now he threads his fingers through Ben’s, kisses him lightly.

“Want to go for lunch?” he asks. 

Ben grins at him, eyes crinkled and shining, and nods.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I'm escapingreality51 on tumblr, come and say hi! Any kudos or comments are much appreciated. This is my first time writing Ben x Callum fic, and a huge thank you goes to Johnny for helping me and making me feel like I found their voices.


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